9 Secrets For Home Cooking From Actual Restaurant Employees

source: Soap Queen
One of the main reasons people like to eat out at restaurants is that the food there always just tastes better than it does at home. This is because restaurant employees know all of the secrets when it comes to cooking, and these secrets are found in the quality of the food. If you want your home cooking to taste as good as it does in a fine dining establishment, here are nine cooking secrets that restaurant employees use for their home cooking.
1. Vodka For Cast Iron Skillets

Scrubbing a cast iron skillet will remove its protective coating and ultimately ruin it. To ensure your cast iron skillet gets cleaned and stays safe, splash some vodka in it. Let the vodka sit for about 10 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.
2. Keep Plates Warm

A sure way to keep your food warm when you go to serve it? Warm your plates in the oven for a few minutes before plating the food. Just be sure your dishes are oven-safe!
3. Light A Candle

If you don’t feel like crying your eyes out while cutting onions, light a candle in your cutting area. Supposedly, vanilla candles work the best.
4. Tomato Juice

When you’re slicing up some tomatoes, don’t throw the resulting juice and seeds in the garbage. The tomato remnants make for excellent seasoning!
5. All About Tongs

Although wooden spoons and spatulas are great for some things, a restaurant worker’s favorite tool is a pair of tongs. Tongs expertly mix around ingredients while still preserving the shape and integrity of the food.
6. Pepper Protection

There’s nothing worse than touching your eyes or skin after you’ve handled some hot peppers. To protect yourself, coat your hands in olive oil before handling and cutting hot peppers. Ensure you get the olive oil under your fingernails, too!
7. Invest In Good Knives

Everyone should have at least three good-quality knives for slicing, chopping, and paring. Ensure that you are using the proper technique for each knife, and that you’re also caring for them appropriately (no dishwasher!).
8. Crispier Bacon

If you’re someone who loves crispy, crunchy bacon, this hack is for you. Before cooking bacon, lightly dust it in a layer of flour. This will take your crunchy bacon to a whole other level.
9. Garlic Tip

Instead of trying to peel off garlic skin layer by layer, you can peel and crush it in one simple move. Just place the flat end of a chopping knife on the head of garlic, then carefully use the palm or side of your hand to crush the garlic. The skin will come off in one whole piece, and your garlic will be ready to go.